This issue is the first of the annual Water Account Australia (WAA) release, forming the Australian Bureau of Statistics' commitment to the System of Environmental-Economic Accounts (SEEA) framework. Prior to this release, ABS water accounts were produced four-yearly for the 1996–97, 2000–01, 2004–05 and 2008–09 reference periods. The estimates in this publication are for the 2009–10 reference period.

Subsequent releases of the annual WAA will include estimates for the preceding year, which may include revisions reflecting improved source data and updated information. Details of any major revisions to published data will be described within the Explanatory Notes.

Environmental flows have not been separately identified within these 2009–10 estimates, unlike 2008–09. ABS is currently investigating metering and presentation issues relating to environmental water and aims to publish these results in the next edition of WAA.

For the Mining and Manufacturing industries, the 2009–10 WAA presents ANZSIC division level estimates at the State/Territory level. Sub-division estimates are presented at the National level only, due to reduced survey information feeding into this edition of the WAA. Mining and Manufacturing estimates at the ANZSIC sub-division level will be published in the 2011–12 WAA.

As with the 2008–09 edition of the WAA, additional data will be progressively added to the ABS website. These data will include information on the Murray-Darling Basin and the presentation of water supply and use tables in accordance with System of Environmental-Economic Accounts - Water (SEEA-Water) recommendations.

Terminology

Every endeavour has been made to ensure the terminology used in the 2009–10 WAA is consistent with definitions found in the 2008–09 WAA and those used by Commonwealth, State and Territory water authorities. ABS continues to use the term "Distributed water" to reflect the terminology of SEEA-Water (UN 2006). Distributed water includes potable water, non-potable water and raw water (see Glossary).

FORTHCOMING ENVIRONMENTAL ACCOUNTS RELEASES

Water supply and use estimates for the Murray-Darling Basin (2009–10 reference period) will be produced in the first half of 2012 and may include revisions to 2008–09 Water Account Australia estimates.

RELATED INFORMATION

This publication also includes an article on Australian Government Water Accounting, which describes the differing but complementary purposes of the water accounts produced by the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) and the Australian Bureau of Statistics. For more information on the Bureau of Meteorology's National Water Account, please refer to the Bureau of Meteorology website http://www.bom.gov.au/water/nwa/.